Garden of Eagan: Special Olympics Area meet 2012

Yesterday I shed a few tears as I watched Angela and Axel participate in the 2012 Special Olympics area meet. It was a super busy day making sure the kids were in the right place for their events, helping other athletes get to theirs, and making sure field events were taken care of as well. Our team has some awesome coaches! We have over 200 athletes on our team (though not all participate in every sport) and 67 athletes who compete in the summer games! That is a lot of athletes to keep organized, making sure they all get to practice all of their events, not to mention keeping the meets organized! I would not like the job, but I'm happy to help out wherever I can.

So, onto the games. Here is just part of the team who participated in the grand march. Many of the athletes who have events later in the day hadn't arrived yet.

The first event for us was Axel's 50 meter run. What is important to know is exactly one year ago, on May 16th 2011, this was Axel, just after he came out of an 8 hour surgery, laying in the Intensive Care Unit at Shriner's Hospital in Philadelphia:

When we got him he didn't know how to run. It was kind of a fast walk instead. Then he had his surgery and COULDN'T run. When he got his halo off in August, all the new motor skills he'd just learned he had to learn all over again. Running was one of them.

And now look at him today! Our boy, waving to his adoring fans. LOVE THIS BOY!!!!

Next up was Angela's 50 meter run. She ran as hard as she could! (Watch her at the finish line. She's always been her own best cheerleader! LOL)

Next up was Axel's 100 meter run. Sorry for the bouncing, I was walking along behind him.

There was softball throwing....

And standing long jumping...

There were ribbons awarded....